Reindeer owners are attempting to keep the locations of Christmas displays secret to avoid intervention from animal rights activists.

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd in Aviemore has supplied animals for festive parades across the country for decades.

But, after animal rights group PETA bombarded local authorities with letters asking they do not use the animals in Christmas events, the herd has asked well-wishers not to reveal which displays they plan to attend.

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The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd in Aviemore has asked people not to mention where they will appear in Christmas parades this year to avoid possible intervention from animal rights activists

In November, PETA, which stands for People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, issued a letter to several councils condemning the use of reindeer in Christmas pageants.

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd participates in events hosted by some of the local authorities which received the letter.

But the herd fears it is being considered in the same way as organisations which transports thousands of reindeer from Scandinavia into captivity.

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In a bid to avoid any intervention or disruption, it asked fans on its Facebook page not to refer to the locations of its jobs on the social media site.

'Can we ask you all to please not mention any the locations of any of our Christmas parades here on Facebook, as we don't want any of their organisers to get targeted by animal rights folks.

'We know our reindeer are very happy and comfortable in their work - otherwise we wouldn't take them to the parades - as we are the ones who work with them day in, day out and know them all extremely well,' a post on November 1 read.

The group is the only free-roaming herd in the UK and has participated in Christmas events for decades

Speaking of the unusual request, worker Tilly Smith said: 'We feel it would open a can of worms if we publicised where we are going.

'We're erring on the side of caution by asking people not to mention details. We believe the protesters are aiming to stop venues from hiring us.

'These places might decide they can't be bothered by the hassle and will stop inviting us. It's putting pressure on them.

'Without the money we make from this time of year, we would struggle to care for the reindeer and pay our staff.

'We feel worn out by it all, to be honest. The reindeer bring a huge amount of joy, but there's a blackness in the background just now because of it.'

'When someone asks their customers to be secretive, you know they've got something to hide,' Ben Williams, a PETA spokesman said, rejecting the group's claim that they are a free-roaming herd.

'Reindeer are not "free-roaming" if they are being carted all over the country, jammed into pens, tied up with reins, and forced to pull sleighs.

'We should not be supporting such unethical displays. Children should not grow up thinking that animals exist merely for our entertainment or that they must work for their upkeep.

'The holiday season is supposed to be about joy and peace. Ending the exploitation of reindeer and other animals would do nothing to diminish children's sense of the magic of the holiday season.'

Earlier this year PETA campaign coordinator Kirsty Henderson penned a letter to numerous local authorities asking them not to involve reindeer in parades she deemed 'entirely unsuitable'.

'A busy commercial centre filled with noisy shoppers, bright lights and excited children is an entirely unsuitable environment for reindeer or any other animals.

'These beautiful animals belong in the Arctic and subarctic regions of the world.'

Owners say their animals are 'very happy and comfortable in their work'. The reindeer are pictured in their free-roaming habitat in the Scottish Highlands where tourists can visit them throughout the year

Animal rights group PETA argues it is unsuitable for reindeer to be around 'bright lights and excited children'

The group said the species 'belongs in the Arctic and subarctic regions of the world' and not in town centres

While the Cairngorm Herd acknowledges there are organisations which import reindeer to poor conditions in the UK, their animals are not unhappy with the work they carry out and bring 'a huge amount of joy'

'When they’re used as holiday "props" reindeer are denied the opportunity to engage in natural behaviour or roam freely over vast open ranges as they would in their natural circumpolar habitat,'

The reindeer from the Cairngorm Herd are the only ones in the country which enjoy a free-roaming habitat in the Scottish Highlands.

During the year they are visited by groups of tourists in the wild, and, say organisers, interact with humans willingly.

When travelling to events across the country, they stay in temporary, farmland bases and are transported in lorries with spacious boxes of straw.